Portable fire-escape.



D. S. HARLEY.

POHTABLE FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3|, l9l7.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

l l mits imame oeempww,nume a ser ne.. 3,

nertia Q 1. i

To all whom. it concern: 1 p Be it known that- I, DEAN HARLEYfOf the townrof Georgetown, 1. in the countyv of.

Halton,,Pr,ovin ce of Ontario, Canada, have invented: certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Fire-Escapes, of which thefollowing is a specification. 1

This invention, relates to fire escapesof struction Y hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device ready for use;

Fig. 2 a side elevation of the same; and

Fig. 3 a perspective view of the friction device on an enlarged scale.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

The essential elements of the device are a suspended web 1, a friction device 2 adapted to run on the web, and the belt or other support 3 connected to the friction device, the apparatus being used by connectingthe web 1 at one end to the building from which the descent is to be made, the person descending sitting in the belt 3 or having it passed around his body.

. The web 1 is provided at one end with a suitable hook adapted to engage a suitable eye 5 secured to part of the building. It is evident also that a loop could be formed in the web by engaging the hook 4 with the web so as to form a loop in the web which could be passed around a bed post or other part sufliciently heavy to give seclnre anchorage for the upper end of the we The friction device 2 is formed as a rectangular frame 6 crossed by five transverse bars 7. At each side of the frame a slot 8 is formed extending substantially the full length of the frame. The whole is formed mens smeatless;

f' "e c ated Letters stat." r Ap'plicat'ioiffiledlanuaryel, 1917; SerialNo14=5fi53l-jA integrally of. metal and is 1 preferably a: malleable iron; casting. The web 1s woven through :the bars as. shown, passing undern Patented Apr. t

the reenter bar and over the adj acent: :bars

at; eachJ-side, .thenceunder the endtbarsn The slots 8 form means of connection for the belt 3,-tl1e ends of which are provided with" means, such as snap hooks 9, by means of which they may be engaged with the slots.

The device is used as follows. The upper end of the web is suitably connected with the building as already described. The belt trusts his weight to the device, controlling the rate of descent by applying tension to the web below the friction device. In the case of a helpless person, suchtension may be applied by a person on the ground gripping the lower end of the web.

If a second person is to descend from the same place, the person above disconnects the web at the upper end, hauls up the device ,is passed around the user, who then enand connectsthe other end of the web with i the building. The friction device is thus again brought to what is the upper end of the web, the hooks 9 sliding to the other end of the slots and thus automatically reversing their position. The second person then descends in the same manner as the first.

As many persons would find difficulty in controlling their descent by grasping the web and might burn their hands by the friction of the same, I prefer to employ a brake member and operating means therefor which do not move relative to the friction device. For this purpose I 1 form. on the rectangular frame 6 lugs 10 carrying a pin 11, on which is journaled a brake 12'. This brake is provided with oppositely extending brake arms 13, one of which is adapted to cooperate with the cross bar next adjacent the center bar at one side thereof andthe other with the cross bar next adjacent the center bar at the other side thereof. lntermediate the brake arms is the operating arm 14, loop shaped as shown for connection with a strip of webbing 15, preferably formed as a'loop in which the hand may be inserted. By pulling down on this loop 15, the web 1 may begripped between the lower brakearm 13 and the bar with which it codperates. When the device is reversed,

the other brake arm 13 and cooperating lie cross bar are in position to cooperate and pr l))duce the desired braking friction on the We From the above description it will be seen that I have devised a fire escape which will satisfactorily attain the objects of my invention as set out in the preamble to this specification.

What I claim as my invention is A one-piece friction device for portable fire escapes of the kind described shaped to form a central rectangular frame crossed by five cross bars and at each side of the central frame a slot extending substantially the full length of the frame,and a bearing lug at the inner side of each slot in line With the center bar in combination with a one-piece brake fulcrumed on said lugs and I adapted to cooperate with the cross bars of the friction device next adjacent the center, and the intermediate brake cross bar serving for the attachment of an operating device.

Signed at the village of Georgetown, in the county of Halton and Province of Ontario this 23rd day of January, 1917.

DEAN S. HARLEY.

Copies of, this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, 1). G. 

